1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a vehicle jack and specifically to a vehicle jack for leveling and stabilizing a recreational vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recreational vehicles often include a plurality of vehicle jacks permenently affixed to four (4) frame positions for use in leveling and stabilizing the vehicle when parked. When the vehicle is parked, these jacks may be manually actuated so as to level and stabilize the vehicle. More preferably, the jacks may be electrically actuated so as to facilitate the operation of the jack to level and stabilize the vehicle.
Many of the prior art jacks, even though quite expensive, have deficiencies in design and operation. For example, these prior art jacks may be slow to operate and may not have a sufficient length of stroke so that the vehicle can be leveled for substantially all parking situations. Other deficiencies with the prior art jacks is that they may extend below the frame of the vehicle a considerable distance when mounted on the frame and therefore are subject to road damage. Additionally, with the prior art jacks, if the vehicle is driven off without retracting the jack this may either break or severely damage portions of the jack. Additionally, some of the prior art jacks do not provide sufficient lifting force so that they can be used on a wide variety of recreational vehicles.
Other problems with currently available jacks and levelers is that many of the prior art devices can suffer from water damage or contamination since interior portions of the prior art are not sealed. Others of the prior art devices include retraction arms which can bend in operation. In addition, other prior art devices include nylon gears which can strip due to poor alignment in the gearbox. In addition to the above, other problems are present with prior art devices so as to reduce their ability to properly perform their desired function.